(AP)--Authorities aren't alleging that they had anything to do with the Boston Marathon bombings themselves, but three friends of one of the suspects could be looking at years behind bars for what they allegedly did in the days after the bombing.

Authorities say one of the three concluded that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev might have been a bomber -- even texting him to say he looked like one of the suspects in images released by the FBI.

They say the three then removed a backpack and a laptop from the suspect's dorm room, to try to keep him out of trouble. The backpack contained fireworks that had been emptied of powder.

Meanwhile,Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry says it is cooperating with the United States in the case of two of its citizens arrested in connection with the Boston Marathon bombing.

Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov were university friends of bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. They were charged Wednesday with attempting to destroy evidence by disposing of a backpack and laptop computer taken from his room after they found he was a suspect in the fatal bombing.

On Thursday, the Kazakh foreign ministry issued a statement saying "Both Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov are cooperating with the investigative bodies and providing them assistance."

"As we have repeatedly stressed, Kazakhstan strongly condemns any form of terrorism. The Kazakhstan side is cooperating with the U.S. law enforcement bodies in their investigation," the ministry said.